Carter didn't get much sleep when he returned to Barracks Two. Thankfully, no one had suspected that he been gone, but he knew he had to tell Hogan in the morning, preferably before roll call.
Hogan was still sitting in his bunk when Carter approached him and told him everything about what happened the night before. After listening, Hogan yawned and rubbed his face, then looked at Carter. "You know I told you yesterday not to worry about this, right?"
"I know, but… I couldn't help it. Something has always felt off about Reiger and I had to figure it out," Carter replied.
"Not just that, but you do realize we need you on assignments. You can't go chasing after every weird feeling that comes your way. We do a job, and when the job is done, it's done. That's it."
"Colonel, do you think I'm crazy?"
"No, but I think you need to get your head out of the clouds and back down here. We need you. You volunteered for this when you came here. After what you tried to do when you got that letter from Mary Jane, and now this, there is a part of me that's wondering if you even want to continue helping out."
"I am helping out." Carter kept his composure, though deep down, he was fuming at Hogan mentioning the incident with his letter from Mary Jane. Carter had been distraught enough to where he wanted to escape and go home to make things right with her, but chose not to after realizing just how valuable he was to the rest of the team.
"We work as a team, Carter, unless London says otherwise. How is helping one vampire going to assist in shortening the war? How is it going to reduce casualties for our own men?"
"If Steichen achieves his goal, he could very well convince the rest of the German command that turning their soldiers into vampires is a viable option. They can heal themselves easily. They have heightened senses. They have long lifespans. They won't be easy for our guys to deal with. This is just as bad as any new weapon they've been trying to develop."
"Didn't you say Reiger doesn't even want help?"
"He said that he would think about it. He even said where he could be found. That tells me he does want help."
"Or he said it so you would stop asking and give him a chance to get away. If he does manage to get away, then there's nothing to worry about. This is something better suited for the League of Sorcerers to handle. Not only that, but Reiger said he was concerned about potentially hurting you. I don't exactly want to have an accidental vampire on my team, and that is not something we can easily hide from Klink.
"We risk getting hurt or killed every single day—"
"That is unavoidable. You becoming a vampire is avoidable."
"I'll be careful, sir."
"I don't like this one bit." Hogan sighed. "When is Veidt coming to get you?"
"After morning roll call, sir."
"Alright. When you go with him, you are not to leave his sight, understand?"
"Yes, Colonel."
They were interrupted by Schultz barging into the barracks, telling everyone to get outside for roll call. Hogan glanced toward the door leading out to the rest of the barracks, then looked back at Carter. "We aren't equipped to help you if something goes wrong and Reiger bites you. That's what I'm worried about. If that happens, you're going to have to be transferred to Stalag VII C."
"How will that work? Stalag VII C houses British troops only. Specifically, army troops."
"We'll figure something out. Best thing for you to do is not get bitten, period." Hogan stood. "Go out for roll call."
To an unknowing passerby, the old ski lodge situated on top of a hill overlooking a dense pine forest appeared to have been abandoned for some time. Reiger kept up that appearance, even inside. He had some basic amenities, but nothing fancy or luxurious by any means. His comfort only extended to what would keep him alive.
When he arrived the previous night after managing to get away from the American prisoner-of-war who worked for the agent known as Papa Bear, Reiger spent the next several hours trying to decide on whether or not he should accept the man's offer of help. Then again, he was only able to think when the excruciating pain of craving blood had finally subsided. He could remember Steichen jeering at him that the vast majority of normal vampires acted on their need for blood without any hesitation. Reiger resisted at every turn, no matter how much Steichen prodded him.
Why did it have to be me? What was it about me that made Steichen think I was a perfect candidate for his experiment? Not a day went by without Reiger asking himself that at least once. He often had nightmares about the night he was kidnapped from his post in France by Sorcery Division agents. He wished it was just a nightmare.
Reiger left his bedroom feeling sore, which was a common occurrence, even a punishment of sorts, for resisting his cravings, but he felt more in control, as long as he didn't smell blood again. He stepped out into the small kitchen, looking out the wide window at the forest below. The sky was overcast, like it was yesterday. It was probably going to rain again.
He suddenly felt a painful gnawing sensation in his stomach. He hadn't eaten regular food since the previous afternoon, his last meal at his parents' tavern. There was no food in the cabin, and he certainly couldn't go back to the tavern. Steichen is probably still there. He knew he needed to eat, or else the blood cravings would come back much stronger. Blood could keep him going without needing to eat regular food for a few days. Food could at least keep the cravings at bay until the next full moon.
The full moon is in about two weeks. I have to drink by that night, or I will die. Reiger gave a quiet sigh. Would it be better for everyone if I just… died? Steichen would not be able to continue his experiment. He would not be able to implement it into the rest of the German military. I would not be able to hurt anyone. He knew that was a horrible thing to think. His family had done their best to be supportive when he returned a couple of weeks ago, even though he insisted that he was likely going to hurt them. They wanted to help, try to make the best of it, despite Reiger saying that this didn't feel like something that could be "made the best of." I was turned into a vampire, a creature that needs to feed on blood just to survive. I risk turning other people into vampires if I do not kill them when I drink. It will be this way for the rest of my life. Plus, I will outlive my family. My life has been extended by almost two hundred years. Who will I have by then? No one.
There was a part of him telling him that simply dying was not a good idea. My family still loves me. That young American from Stalag 13 cared enough to pester me. Maybe there is a way.
He had told that POW where to find him, so he decided to sit and wait.
Veidt had a light breakfast and coffee before heading out to Stalag 13 to pick up Carter. He gave a heavy sigh as he left the hotel and looked up at the miserable gray sky. Did it not rain enough yesterday? he thought as he walked down the steps and onto the street. He really didn't want to walk anywhere with the constant threat of rain, but he knew he wouldn't be able to pull off "arresting" Carter on his motorcycle. He made an arrangement before leaving the hotel with Hammelburg's Gestapo office about borrowing a car, and made his way there while hunched over and anticipating rain at any second.
After picking up the car, Veidt decided to pass by the Reigers' tavern. Steichen's staff car was still there, as was the smell of blood. He is going to kill everyone in there until he gets Reiger back. Veidt continued to curse himself over not doing anything, but his voice of reason spoke up as well, telling him that running in with nothing but a handgun and blind fury was not going to achieve anything other than getting himself killed.
When he left Hammelburg, Veidt welcomed the damp smell of the world around him after rolling down the windows, though he couldn't tell if it was from the rains of yesterday, or from the rain hanging in the air yet to come. He had complained about the rain earlier, but the smell of rain was greatly preferable to the smell of blood. Veidt let out a sigh as he thought about the fact that rainy days were good for a cup of tea and a book, in his opinion.
His daydreaming of being back in his apartment with tea and books swiftly faded as he approached the gates of Stalag 13. He showed his identification to the sentries, then drove inside. Puddles of mud were scattered around the camp, but the prisoners were still out and exercising, even attempting a game of baseball.
Veidt was yanked from his thoughts when he heard a loud clang, and turned to see one of the prisoners had whipped a ball at his car after he got out. Nervously, he jogged back over, and while the car wasn't seriously damaged, the ball had left a sizable dent in its front passenger side door. I doubt the Gestapo will appreciate this. He looked at the prisoner who had thrown the ball, a young man with tousled blond hair. After the man displayed his middle finger to Veidt, he started going on a bit of a vulgar tirade, even calling Veidt a "freakish ghoul," until being approached by Carter, who roughly grabbed the man by his shoulder.
"He's on our side!" Carter snapped. "Don't you pay attention to anything Colonel Hogan says, Atkins?!"
Atkins glanced at Veidt, eyes still blazing with hatred. "Sorry. He looks like all the others that pass through here." He turned and stalked away, kicking rocks as he went.
What should have just stung felt more like a knife was being buried and twisted in Veidt's chest. He tried not to let it show as Carter approached him.
"I'm so, so sorry about that," Carter said, looking upset. "Atkins is one of our newer guys. He doesn't—"
"It is alright," Veidt replied. "There was a time where he was right."
Carter fell silent.
"Are you ready to go?"
"Yeah." Carter didn't sound ready.
"Are you having second thoughts?"
"No. We can talk when we're in a more private place."
Veidt nodded. "Alright. I will go tell Colonel Klink I am 'arresting' you, and we will be on our way."
After convincing Klink that Carter needed to be taken in for questioning, Veidt left the commandant's office. He pretended to manhandle Carter while putting him in cuffs and walking him to the car. The whole way, Veidt was aware of Atkins watching him near Barracks Two. He also noticed Colonel Hogan watching him from one of the windows. He wasn't at all fond of the pressure being put on him to take care of Carter, even though he knew Carter was fully capable of taking care of himself.
They drove out of Stalag 13, and once they were a good distance away, Veidt parked the car under a tree along a road leading back to Hammelburg. He uncuffed Carter's hands, leaning into the back of the vehicle. "I am sorry if I got a bit too rough with you."
"It's alright. Not the worst thing that's ever happened to me," Carter replied.
"Still. I should be more careful." Veidt sighed. "Alright. I guess our first challenge is going to be finding Reiger—"
"No. Before we do that, I have something I need to say to you," Carter interrupted. "I'm really sorry for bringing up your lying abilities last night. I-If I had known it was going to hurt, I wouldn't have said it."
"It did not hurt, Carter; what are you talking about?"
"You said that it was something you're not proud of. You always say that when talking about your past."
Veidt looked down at the floor, nodding a little. "Well, you are right in that regard."
"And Atkins shouldn't have treated you like that. I can't imagine… that helped at all."
"I have looked at myself in the mirror and called myself a freakish ghoul. Everything he said to me is nothing new, because it is all things that I have thought of about myself."
"That doesn't give him—or anyone—the right to say things like that to you, and you shouldn't even be saying things like that about yourself."
"Carter, I… I hope you never have to go through what I am going through, but until you do, telling myself to not say or think things like that is easier said than done. I have to ask, why are we having this discussion? We are supposed to be finding Reiger."
"I know where Reiger is, but after last night, I felt like I needed to make sure that you were okay."
"Well, I am… okay. As okay I will ever be." Veidt sat back in the driver's seat. Without a doubt, he appreciated Carter bringing all this up, but there was also a part of him that didn't think this was the right place to do so. He also didn't know how to express everything in his head, everything he experienced on a regular basis. It had been almost two years since changing his path. Two years of wondering whether or not he was on the right path. He looked at Carter, and took notice of the expression on Carter's face. It looked like a blend of worry, anger, sadness, and confusion. "Is there… another reason you are bringing this up?"
"Maybe. Honestly, you're the only person I know who would understand what I'm going to say," Carter said.
"What is it?"
Carter took a moment to think. "I… got into a bit of an argument with Colonel Hogan before roll call. He said that this combined with the incident with my former girlfriend says that I don't act like I'm fully committed to helping the Underground, even though I volunteered. I sure wasn't expecting Mary Jane to break up with me, and I wasn't expecting to… to sense something about Reiger."
"On one hand, that is part of life, being able to handle things that life throws at you. On the other, they are not things that you can just ignore or brush off. I remember how upset you were over your girlfriend, and it did not help that you had bottled it up in an effort to keep your friends from continuing to act immature about it."
"That's the other thing—I do still consider them friends, but if I can't rely on them in a situation like that to actually help… maybe they aren't."
Veidt's heart broke. "That is not true, Carter. They do care about you. Hogan was worried about you when you were captured by Kaschel. He certainly was not keen on letting you go alone with me when we were taking Lechner to Stalag VII C."
"I don't know. I just… need to think about it. Maybe I should join the League of Sorcerers."
Veidt pursed his lips as he thought. Overall, none of this really sounded like it related to his own struggles, aside from Carter's split loyalties. Then again, Veidt really had no loyalty to the SS anymore, and the Underground and the League were on the same side. It sounded more like Carter was incredibly frustrated and unsure of how to express it. That was something Veidt could definitely relate to. "I understand your frustration, but I want you to think rationally about this, Carter. I would be more supportive of that idea if Hogan had outright opposed you undertaking this mission, but he still let you go. I think that shows he trusts you."
"It still felt like he considered it to be a waste of time."
"I am not going to dismiss your feelings, but I do want you to think about what you claim to want. Leaving Stalag 13 and joining the League would be a big change for you."
When Carter didn't respond, Veidt changed the subject. "Alright. Where is Reiger?"
"He's up at a ski lodge north of here," Carter said.
Veidt nodded, and started the car for their trip north.
Carter didn't fully understand why all his frustration had boiled to the surface. Maybe it was the fact that Hogan had uncovered old wounds in the incident with his letter from Mary Jane, wounds that Carter had been certain he had buried for good after getting to talk with Veidt and Lechner afterward. It should have been left at that. I wasn't in a good mindset at the time, Carter thought. It shouldn't have been brought up here. I know, I said I wanted to escape and go home and fix things, but I changed my mind because I truly feel like my place is here. Now… I don't know. He stared out the window while rubbing his face in frustration.
As expected, it began to rain again. The droplets clacked against the metal roof of the car and rolled down in various patterns on the windows. Veidt sighed while adjusting the windshield wipers, trying to keep up with the volume of rain.
The forest around them eventually faded into grassy fields, dotted by the occasional tree and shrub. Hills loomed ahead of them, and as they got closer, Carter could see the glint of glass windows in a small cabin. "That's it!" he said. "That's the cabin!"
"Are you sure?" Veidt replied.
"I have a feeling."
Veidt accepted that with a nod. He had to slow down as they approached the road leading up the hill, as it was very narrow and clogged with dense and somewhat unruly conifers. In some places, the tree cover was so tight that they didn't hear or see the steady rain coming down, just huge droplets that rolled down the prickly branches. The forest floor was littered with pine cones, all of them sealed closed due to how wet it was.
There came a point where Veidt decided they would have to continue on foot. "I guess Reiger chose his hiding place well," Veidt said. "It is difficult to get up there with how wild and overgrown the vegetation is."
Carter nodded. His mind was still wandering in different directions after his conversations with Hogan and Veidt. As they walked up the path, he tried to stay focused on why he was there in the first place.
Eventually the forest began to thin, and the two men could see the path led to a rundown cabin. There was no smoke coming from the little chimney, no vehicles in the driveway, and no lights in the windows. It looked like there was nobody home. Moss covered parts of the sides of the cabin, and the windows were filthy.
"Well, I guess if Reiger did not want anyone to find him, he picked a good place," Veidt said. He opened his holster, and pulled out his P38, instinctively pulling back the slide to see if a round was in the chamber. "I do not have silver bullets, so if he turns out to be… in a very foul mood, we will have to run as fast as we can back to the car."
"Do you think we'll have to worry about that?" Carter asked.
"I do not know. From what you told me, it seems Reiger is very afraid of what he has become, and that he is afraid of losing control. Vampires are normally in control of themselves unless they have gone a full month without drinking blood. They must drink by the full moon of every month, or else they suffer a rather slow and painful death. It is like dehydration and starvation wrapped into one horrible package."
"So, blood isn't optional at all."
Veidt shook his head. "Not by any means. I do not know how long Reiger has gone without blood, but the full moon is in two weeks. If he has not had any between now and the previous full moon, he is probably starting to feel it."
"How long does blood keep them energized for?"
"About a week. They are capable of eating food the way we are, and that will stave off any desires for blood until a couple of days before the full moon. After that, either they drink blood or they die. Reiger does not have anything to worry about for now." Veidt gestured to the cabin. "We should go see if he is here."
Carter nodded, and followed Veidt up to the door. The German knocked three times, then turned to Carter, giving him a nervous smile. "I probably should have brought a change of clothes."
"I'm here. Maybe that will make him more willing to listen," Carter said.
The two heard footsteps, and then saw Reiger's face appear in one of the windows. He disappeared, and they stood waiting for another minute before Reiger opened the door, holding his sidearm. He glared at Veidt, aiming his gun at Veidt's chest. "Who are you?"
"He is with me," Carter said, switching to German.
"A Sorcery Division officer is with you?"
"Yes. He is not loyal to the SS."
"My name is Kurt Veidt. I am a member of the League of Gentlemen Sorcerers and Lady Witches." Veidt lowered his gun first. "I came at Carter's request."
Reiger continued to look at Veidt skeptically. "Do you know who Lutz Steichen is?"
"A little too well. I was sent to monitor him by order of Standartenführer Kaschel, but I also wanted to come on my own accord because I have a bit of history with Hammelburg."
Reiger was quiet, appearing to think about the situation for a moment, then sighed while gesturing into the cabin. "Come inside. I suppose we can talk."
"You can trust Veidt," Carter said. "Papa Bear trusts him."
Reiger didn't respond, and simply walked back into the cabin. He waited for Carter to enter before closing and locking the door behind him. "Alright. I know this one—" he pointed to Carter, "tried convincing me that I needed help last night. I am… admittedly more open to the idea." Reiger began pacing the room. "Veidt, if you are part of the Sorcery Division, perhaps you can help in getting Steichen out of my parents' tavern."
"I probably can," Veidt replied.
"I requested his itinerary from Papa Bear so I knew where Steichen was, in order to kill him. His project cannot be allowed to continue. It means certain destruction, not just for the Allies, but also for thousands, if not millions, of Germans." Reiger pointed to himself. "This is no way to live. No one deserves such a fate."
Carter shook his head, and looked at Veidt. "There has to be something we can do."
Veidt rubbed his chin. "The only sure way to get Steichen out of the tavern would be to get Kaschel up here, but then that means Kaschel will get in the way of assassinating Steichen. I am not sure he would be in favor of eliminating Steichen, even though he does not particularly like the man."
"I thought you were sent on Kaschel's behalf."
"I was, but I do not know what Steichen would do if he suspected Kaschel was spying on him."
"Maybe we do need him to suspect that. It could get him to back down."
"If you can free my family, I would be immensely grateful to you," Reiger said. "They did not deserve to be put in the middle of this. This is between me and Steichen. No one else."
Veidt nodded. "I will see what I can do."